The New Pornographers - 9:30 Club - June 23, 2010 - Setlist

The New Pornographers rode into their favorite city this week to play 2 sold-out shows at the 9:30 Club.  I was only able to see the second, whose setlist was dictated by a kid in the front row.  I'm serious, some dude handed Carl a setlist, and they played it. The show included some songs they claim haven't been played in years (To Wild Homes and The End of Medicine) and Pitchfork jabs (Neko actually trying to pick a fight with them).

Whoever that guy in the front was, they did a superb job.  Much better than Dan Bejar, who was visibly drunk the whole time (especially during Jackie) and screwed up some lyrics (Myriad Harbour).

My favorites?  Of course The Bleeding Heart Show evokes shivers, yet I think their new songs shined.  Crash Years and Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk stand out in my memory.  They brought out The Dodos to play horns on A Bite Out Of My Old Bed, which was amazing..

TNP stand out as one of my favorite bands to see live.  You can't leave one of their shows without a grin and a feeling that the world is a better place.

Setlist:
Sing Me Spanish Techno
Up In The Dark
Myriad Harbour
Use It
Crash Years
All The Old Showstoppers
The Body Says No
Jackie
A Bite Out Of My Old Bed (with The Dodos on horns)
The Bones Of An Idol
Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk
To Wild Homes
End Of Medicine
Moves
Your Hands (Together)
My Shepherd
Twin Cinema
Silver Jenny Dollar
Mass Romantic
The Bleeding Heart Show


Challengers
My Rights Versus Yours
Electric Version
Testament To Youth In Verse

Field Music - Cafe Du Nord, San Francisco, CA - March 26, 2010

What a coincidence: I happen to be in the Bay area for work and Field Music just so happens to be playing.

The place was actually kind of crowded, which surprised me.  I had no idea anyone else knew of this band.  Apparently they do on the west coast.

The sound was great, unlike School of Language's show at DC9 a while back.  They played a medley of old and new stuff, and even dipped into David's repertoire.  My favorite?  Glad you asked.  A Gap Has Appeared followed closely by Effortlessly.  No strings, but they did well with those parts on guitar, especially in Measure.

Setlist:
Give It, Lose It, Take It
A House Is Not A Home
The Rest Is Noise
Rockist Part 4 (School of Language)
Shorter Shorter
Each Time Is A New Time
Let's Write A Book
Keep Right
A Gap Has Appeared
If Only The Moon Were Up
All You Need To Say
Effortlessly
Measure
Them That Do Nothing
Something Familiar
Share The Words
Clear Water
Tell Me Keep Me


Tones Of Town
Not The Only Way To Feel Happy

Getting sick of them, yet? I'm not.

Fleet Foxes, Frank Fairfield - Black Cat - October 3, 2008

Having missed Fleet Foxes the two previous times they have been in town, I was quick to jump on tickets as soon as they went on sale. I kind of forgot about the show until G.H. posted about the $100 tickets on CL and I thought "Damn, gonna be packed." It was.

Frank Fairfield opened up the show with a ratty old banjo, looking like an Amish boy. He picked away on that banjo and mumbled some whiny lyrics into the mic. Then he picked up a fiddle and did the same thing. Then a guitar, then a banjo, then a fiddle and finally a guitar. I couldn't catch a single lyric that he spouted... He sounded like an old man on a porch in Mississippi, so I was taken aback when I discovered he is from California.

Fleet Foxes got onstage. Although they didn't play anything off of their first EP, they did play a cover (or two) and a new song (or two). Robin played an old folk song, "Katy Cruel," which has been covered by the likes of Jerry Garcia, Nick Cave and many, many more, that left the audience not knowing what to do with themselves. He then went into a song that I couldn't identify ("Nothing's happened but I think it will soon..."). Their new song, "Silver City," combined all of the aspects of their previous songs: driving staccato guitars, big toms, soft harmonies and a lot of "ooooos." Although the harmonies started out a little shaky, I really enjoyed it.

I know G.L. has commented on the staying power of these guys, but I think he is underestimating them. As long as Fleet Foxes keep putting out catchy, pretty music, guys will continue taking their girlfriends to the shows.

Fleet Foxes Setlist:
Sun Giant / Sun It Rises / Drops In The River / English House / White Winter Hymnal / Ragged Wood / Your Protector / Katy Cruel (solo, old folk cover) / New Song? (solo) / Oliver James (solo) / Quiet Houses / He Doesn't Know Why / Mykonos // Tiger Mountain Peasant Song (solo) / Silver City (new song) / Blue Ridge Mountains

Grand Archives Setlist - Rock and Roll Hotel - 6/15/08 - UPDATE

Apparently a set list isn't good enough for the DC Rock Club, so here's a little blurb...

The show was great. Other than the people who knew the band, I was probably the hairiest guy there (a couple girls game me a run for my money, though). They didn't have keys, so they played those parts by guitar (and, surprisingly, it worked). The pedal steel player from Sera Cahoone got up and played a few with GA, which was amazing. The 4 part harmonies were always on pitch and very, well, pretty. These guys are good.

miniature birds / orange juice / index moon / crazy grave (new song) / swan matches / a setting sun / sleepdriving / torn blue foam couch / liberty bell / another saturday night (sam cooke cover) / george kaminski / crime window // sundown (gordon lightfoot cover) > southern glass home

Grand Archives - "Southern Glass Home"

photo courtesy of sup pop
mp3 courtesy of juquebox.net

R.E.M., Modest Mouse, The National Setlists - Merriweather Post (6/11/08)

Man, talk about a great evening. Beautiful weather, 3 good bands, good friends... fantastic. This is one of the few outdoor outings in the last month that didn't get torrential downpours.

It was so nice, in fact, that we missed the first couple The National songs. I asked around at the show, and most people had never heard of them before (nerds) or told me that they played "Sorry," which isn't even a song of theirs that I know of. One person told me that they started off with "Start A War," which sounds plausible. Can anyone help us with the others?

Modest Mouse was good. I left the setlist generating to Allison for that show. She loves them...

R.E.M. was superb. Michael Stipe rearranged the lyrics in "Drive," which threw me for a loop (yes, I sing along... leave me alone). During "The One I Love," disaster was averted. Stipe stumbled off an amp, almost biting it. He brushed it off, but kind of seemed perturbed; not even a smirk on his face. I was kind of disappointed that Stipe didn't perform the narrative during the bridge of Orange Crush, but I'm probably grasping at straws.

The encore was quite political. Mr. Richards was dedicated to Dick (the attempted murderer quail hunter, not Tricky). After the song, he said they partnered with Amnesty International and Environmental Action before putting on an Obama button and declaring Barack would be the next president (to many cheers, of course).

R.E.M.
Finest Worksong / Living Well Is The Best Revenge / Bad Day / What's The Frequency Kenneth / Drive / Ignoreland / Man-Sized Wreath / Little America / Hollow Man / Walk Unafraid / Houston / Electrolite / Don't Go Back To Rockville / Pop Song '89 / Horse To Water / The One I Love / Driver 8 / Until The Day Is Done / Let Me In (Acoustic) / These Days / Orange Crush / I'm Gonna DJ // Supernatural Superserious / Losing My Religion / Mr. Richards / Fall On Me (w/ Johnny Marr) / Man On The Moon

Modest Mouse*
Invisible / Satin In A Coffin / I Came As A Rat / Fly Trapped In A Jar / Trucker's Atlas / Out Of Gas / Dance Hall / Float On / King Rat / The View / Dashboard

The National
Start A War / ??? / ??? / Baby We'll Be Fine / Slow Show / Mistaken For Strangers / Squalor Victoria / Racing Like A Pro / Fake Empire / Mr. November

*Thanks to Allison for the Modest Mouse assignment.

Radiohead Setlist - Nissan Pavilion (5/11/08)

To round out our weekend of rock, the Rockists traveled in our fuel efficient vehicles out through the set of Deliverance to good ol' Brostow, VA. G.L. and I enjoyed our 4 hour car party while the heavens opened up around us. Luckily, I had mistakenly bought pit tickets and G.L.'s coworker had extra pavilion tickets so our group got to stay (semi) dry. Suckers...

I heard there were a lot of people who weren't able to make it into the show due to 2 hour waits to park and closed roads. That blows and our hearts go out to those not in attendance. We were quite lucky to get in there quickly and out of there (relatively) quickly.

The show was amazing. I have been waiting over 7 years to see these guys and it wasn't worth the wait (why would anyone wait 7 years to see a show?), but it was worth the weather. The songs were flawless except for Johnny messing up the beginning to Faust Arp... twice. Did anyone else notice Thom shouting "Barack Obama" during "The National Anthem"? I know G.H. did.

All I Need / Jigsaw Falling Into Place / Lucky / 15 Step / Nude / Pyramid Song / Weird Fishes/Arpeggi / Myxomatosis / Idioteque / Faust Arp / Videotape / Paranoid Android / Just / Reckoner / Everything In Its Right Place / Bangers + Mash / Body Snatchers // Like Spinning Plates / Optimistic / Karma Police / Go Slowly / Planet Telex // Fake Plastic Trees / National Anthem / House of Cards

New Pornographers Setlist @ 9:30 Club

The New Pornographers - 9:30 Club - April 14, 2008
All The Things that Make Heaven and Earth / Use It / Electric Version / Jackie, Dressed in Cobras / All the Showstoppers / July Jones / My Rights Versus Yours / The Laws Have Changed / From Blown Speakers / Challengers / Testament to Youth in Verse / Unguided / Slow Descent into Alcoholism / Mystery Hours / Adventures in Solitude / Sing Me Spanish Techno / Bleeding Heart Show // Don't Bring Me Down (Electric Light Orchestra cover) / Mass Romantic /// Execution Day / The Jessica Numbers

pictures here.

More from the show here, stay tuned for a full Rockist review...

Boognish Rising: Ween Live at Constitution Hall

G.L. and I went to DAR to see Ween last night. A very strong performance from Dean, Gene, and their friends Claude, Dave, and Glenn. More on it later.

In the meantime, I jotted down the setlist last night. Here it is:

WEEN - DAR Constitution Hall - 1/23/07 SETLIST
Exactly Where I'm At/ Pork Roll Egg and Cheese/ Spinal Menangitis/ Bananas and Blow/ Learning to Live/ Voodoo Lady/ Back to Bosom/ My Own Bare Hands/ Take Me Away/ Transdermal Celebration/ Waving My Dick in the Wind/ Nan/ Touch My Tooter/ I've Got to Put the Hammer Down/ Object/ Buckingham Green/ Your Party/ Beacon Light/ I'll Be Your Johnny on the Spot/ Zoloft/ Roses Are Free/ Spirit Walker/ The Mollusk/ Did You See Me?/ Ocean Man*/ Dr. Rock/ Shamemaker>Fiesta // Mister Richard Smoker/ Mister Won't You Please Help My Pony?/ Stroker Ace/ You Fucked Up

Also, some quality pics here.